realty

As a real estate agent who has been in the realty industry for close to 30 years now, when someone or a couple or a whole family is looking sell their home, I have recommended that if the walls need sprucing up, a fresh job is a good idea.

On a diynetwork.com article, there is a list of great painting tips that I would like to share with all of you:

2. Paint like a pro. Painting is your chance to show off your skills. Use an edge pad for clean lines around doorframes, ceiling edges and corners so your walls look great — down to every last detail.

6. Put your sandwich bags to work. Slip a small plastic bag over your doorknobs and tape the edge to avoid getting paint in places it wasn’t meant to go. You’re so resourceful.

12. Take away the shine. Paint doesn’t always adhere to glossy surfaces. We recommend using a light grade sandpaper to take the gloss off the surface so your new paint sticks like it should.

Looking to sell your home? Good! First, I suggest you call Sandy and start packin’ (I had to throw that in there. :P) and second, you should start staging your home. The truth is, if you want sell your home quicker, you have to do some work on your home. It’s time to make your house look from average to awesome!

An online article from hgtv.ca posted 9 fantastic steps to staging your home so you can sell it faster. Here are a few of those steps:

1) De-Clutter

The first step in getting ready to sell is de-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter so potential buyers aren’t overwhelmed by your stuff, but rather impressed by your home. Counters and other surfaces should be kept clear and any furniture that isn’t needed stored away. The good news about this tedious task is packing and purging will make moving day that much easier.

4) But Don’t Touch the Nursery!

Although the nursery and childrens’ rooms should be de-cluttered and tidied as well, personal effects can remain as they are. There’s something reassuring and touching about seeing a baby’s room that can mean all the difference to a potential buyer (especially ones that are starting a family).

8) Draw Attention to Selling Features

As a general rule closet doors should be kept closed, but if there’s a walk-in that should be noticed, a small note to alert potential buyers is ok.

In the world of real estate, good advertising is important. VERY important. Word-of-mouth is great, yes, but if you want to succeed as a real estate agent, you have to sell yourself, your skills, the homes you have on the market and the areas you service. Flyers, brochures, all of that are all vital, however, we live in a digital world. Technology keeps changing – it is becoming bigger and bigger. Now it’s critical for realtors to embrace the digital world to help sell houses in the wobbly market.

According to an article featured on money.usnews.com, there are 12 FANTASTIC tech tools to help sell your home quicker. Here are a few from the article:

Maps. Maps on agents’ websites, the real estate portals, local property appraisers’ websites and Google Earth all enable buyers to see what’s around a home they’re considering, whether it’s convenient shops and services or an eyesore.

Drone photography. Drones are being used by more companies to take aerial photos of large properties and more expensive homes with views.

Social media. Adam Briley says his team finds Facebook to be a powerful marketing tool, and his agents encourage sellers to share their listings with friends. “Social media is actually huge for us,” he says. Of the 105 homes the team has sold this year, he estimates that 25 were sold through Facebook. “Anyone who’s not getting on social media and using it to their advantage is going to be behind the times,” he says.

Social Media, for me, is huge. I’m growing my social media presence because I know that as a professional real estate agent, I need to compete in this digital market.

In Toronto? Looking for something fun to do? The 2015 National Home Show could be what you are looking for!

Taking place at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto’s Exhibition Place, the National Home Show, presented by RE/MAX, this is North America’s largest home and garden event. There are lots of great things to see at this awesome, such as, Family Day Fun, The Ultimate Background and Destination Renovation. The event started on March 13th and will end on the 22nd.

The last few weeks of winter have been quite bitter, stark and just downright cold in Brampton, Toronto and all of Ontario. This February has been marked has the coldest – yes, the COLDEST – on record for Ontario. It is not surprising that so many people, like me, want warmer temperatures. Well, now that the weather is starting to get warmer, it might be time to start looking at springtime decorating around your home!

Here is a very informative styleathome.com article that details 10 great decorating ideas.

That’s a word that scares many people. Understandably so! The idea of going into foreclosure is a dreadful thought and it can be extremely stressful… but there is no need to stress out because there are ways to avoid a foreclosure.

Here is a very informative canadianrealestatemagazine.ca article with tips so you can avoid foreclosure.

2. Rent or sell the propertyIf your property is in a desirable area you can try to sell it quickly or find a roommate or tenant to help pay the mortgage. Contacting a local real estate agent or property management company would be a good place to start when assessing the potential re-sale value or to inquire about area vacancy rates and what you can expect collect in monthly rental.

3. NegotiateLenders want homeowners to pay their mortgages. The foreclosure process is time-consuming and costly, so they have a vested interested in helping a client through the financial crisis. There may be an opportunity to re-negotiate the mortgage over a longer period of time or at a lower interest rate, or for you to pay a smaller monthly amount for a short period if you’ve had employment difficulties.In some cases, the foreclosure process might even be stopped by a generous lender when back payments, interest and legal charges are re-paid in full by the investor or homeowner. There are many repayment scenarios and this is why it is so important to speak to your lender early about your financial problems. You don’t make your situation any better by avoiding the phone calls and emails from the bank when your mortgage goes unpaid month after month. Drawing up a repayment plan is also a good idea to formally present your lender with some ideas you have for reimbursement options that will be affordable in the future.

I’ve been a RE/MAX real estate agent for 26 years now in the beautiful city of Brampton. In all that time, I have meet A LOT of different people and because I have meet so many different people, I’ve used a lot different real estate terms. According to a lightersideofrealestate.com article, there are at least 25 old, worn-out real estate terms that should be retired this year. I AGREE!